Sociology of News
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Dan Berkowitz is prominent among American writers on the sociology of news work, and the process of newsmaking. In the text reader, Social Meanings of News, editor Berkowitz chooses media readings by communications and media experts representative of both classic media studies and lesser-known pieces, thus bringing together a wide array of theories of the news media. The fundamental concept of all the essays, however, is that news is shaped by its social world. The first eight chapters under consideration here focus on a framework for thinking about news, and how news is selected. Obviously all the news that occurs cannot be reported. Nevertheless, in an increasingly complex world, the choice of news selection is too often on the trivial. By identifying different paradigms as a way of studying the news, the book helps clarify various ways of seeing the news, and perhaps gives a hint as to why the news media go for the show rather than the substance in the Presidential race, and news stories in general. In Part I Berkowitz rejects the ônotion that news simply represents journalistsÆ best efforts to seek truth and serve as societyÆs watchdogsö (p.3). The three selections in this part present ôalternative perspectives about news,ö and offer a synthesis of the literature about news and newswork (p.3). These selections are Michael SchudsonÆs ôThe Sociology of News Production,ö Barbie ZelizerÆs "Has Communication Explained Journalism?ö and James S. Ettema, D. Charles Whitney an
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Social Meanings, Communicatorsö SchudsonÆs, Newsö White, According Schudson, Television Newsö, Whitney Wachman, Newspaper Gatekeepersö, Overö Gates, Dan Berkowitz, Gatekeeping Modelö, wire editor, eight chapters, social meanings, chapters consideration, framework thinking, p3 selections, media studies, eight chapters consideration,
Approximate Word count = 916
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)
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